Race and Socioeconomic Differences in the Long-term Outcomes of Childhood Maltreatment

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with negative physical, psychological, and social outcomes throughout life. Among the important psychosocial outcomes for female victims of CM is the risk for subsequent violent victimization during adulthood. Few studies have examined the risk and protective factors associated with revictimization and following CM. Additionally, although both CM and adult violent victimization (AVV) are associated with factors that impact women's socioeconomic status, there is a paucity of research explicitly examining socioeconomic outcomes, such as neighborhood characteristics, among victimized women. Racial and socioeconomic differences exist in the prevalence of both CM and AVV, yet little data exists to show demonstrate, how those factors impact the CM-AVV relation. This study examined the role of race in the association between CM and AVV and related socioeconomic outcomes among adult women. The goals were to; 1) Characterize the association between CM and AVV; 2) Examine whether there are racial differences in the association between CM and AVV; and 3) Determine whether victimization history is associated with the characteristics of the neighborhood in which one resides.Women (n=477) participating in a longitudinal study of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol and marijuana were interviewed about their history of exposure to CM and AVV. Other measures included demographic characteristics, social support, substance use, depression and anxiety, and household environment.The results demonstrated an increased likelihood of experiencing AVV among women who reported a history of CM; regardless of the type of maltreatment experienced. Baseline illicit drug use partially mediated the CM-AVV relation. The risk of AVV associated with CM was not different by race; however, baseline marijuana use was found to mediate the CM-AVV relation for Caucasian women only. Victimization was not associated with neighborhood-level characteristics.There are several important public health implications of this study. When all forms of CM exposure are considered there is a substantial increase in the odds of experiencing AVV, both intimate partner violence and non-intimate partner violence. This study also suggests that approaches to prevent revictimization should differ depending on race, and that drug interventions may be more relevant for Caucasian women